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Cardassia was once home to a peaceful and artistic society; however the planet's poor natural resources eventually led to the collapse of that civilization. Some sources also suggest that a dramatic climactic shift further damaged the planet's ecosystem (sometimes referred to as the Cataclysm), putting a severe strain on the planet's population and eventually its government. The military gained control and started an aggressive expansion for more resources, forming the adversarial Cardassian Union with Cardassia Prime as the capital. (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part II", A Stitch in Time, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions)

Corat Damar, now the leader of the Cardassian Rebellion movement against the Dominion, returned to Cardassia Prime to meet with senior Cardassian military personnel to discuss their defection to the rebellion in late 2375. The meeting was a trap and the bulk of the rebellion was quickly crushed. Damar, Kira Nerys and Elim Garak avoided the trap and started a terrorist campaign against the Dominion in the capital city. The civilian population joined in a popular uprising. The Dominion response was to destroy Lakarian City, killing two million civilians. Instead of bringing the Cardassians to their knees it pushed them further from the Dominion with the Cardassian fleet changing sides during the Battle of Cardassia. The Female Founder then took an even more extreme course of action and ordered her forces to wipe out the entire population of Cardassia Prime (possibly even the entire Cardassian Union, but the damage to Cardassia Prime was extreme). By the time the Federation Alliance surrounded the planet to prepare for the final push over 800 million Cardassians had been killed. After the Dominion surrender the planet was in a state of ruin. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind")